and during his time here we canned peaches
(in memory and honor of Grandpa Don)

made homemade pizza and doughnuts topped with nutella for Pa.

Our last adventure would be the marmalade,

and though he didn't get to have toast with marmalade

that day he sure enjoyed it the days that followed.

The first tea cup exchange that my dear Stephanie hosted

I received a beautiful cookbook from the lady who gifted me.

"Barefoot Contessa at Home" was someone I had never heard of

but I have so enjoyed her recipes.

I had always wanted to make a marmalade jam recipe that was

in her book but never got around to doing it,

so why not make it for my grandson?

If you love marmalade, you are going to love this recipe,

but I have to warn you ahead that it takes two days to make.

Well worth it though!

Anna's orange marmalade

4 large seedless oranges

2 lemons

8 cups sugar

Cut the oranges and lemons in half crosswise, then into very

thin half-moon slices. Discard any seeds.

Place the sliced fruit and their juices into a stainless-steel pot.

Add 8 cups water and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring often.

Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until it dissolves.

Cover and allow to stand overnight at room temperature.

The next day, bring the mixture back to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 2 hours.

Turn the heat up to medium and boil gently, stirring often,

for another 30 minutes. Skim off any foam that forms on the top.

Cook the marmalade until it reaches 220 degrees.

It will be a golden orange color.

(If the marmalade is runny, continue cooking it and if it's hard add more water)

Pour the marmalade into clean, hot Mason jars;

wipe the rims thoroughly with a clean damp paper towel;

and seal with the lids. Store in the pantry for up to a year, or

give it all to your grandson. :)

Enjoy!

You are probably wondering why I titled my post

"Mistakenly Marmalade"?

When I went to the little neighborhood grocer

that carries mostly unique items I was delighted

when I saw that they had "Ocean Spray"

bagged oranges.

My first thought was...

These are going to be quite sweet and flavorful.

Yes, they were certainly flavorful, but they were not oranges,

they were mandarins. oops!

It was a mistake that I had not realized

until the jam was in the jars sealed and ready to enjoy.

I believe I fell upon a recipe that I will use from now on.

"Debbie's Mandarin Marmalade"

I like that!

*~*~*~*

Ashley over atPrecious Moments
was having a give-away and I was the blessed winner
of these delightful cards from Mrs. Smith.
You can visit her beautiful etsy shoppe at

Delightful Daisy
Thank you again Ashley for your sweet thoughtfulness
in your give-away,
and Mrs. Smith, for your generosity in sharing your creations
for someone to win and enjoy.
You have both blessed my heart!

*~*~*~*

Thank you Heavenly Father, for grandsons!
Thank you that we as grand parents,
have the opportunity to come along side
our dear loved ones and teach them
of Your love and grace.
May they grow to know You, love You and serve You.
Amen.

32 comments:

How lovely to spend precious time with your grandsons. I love those houses the boys built with the help of their Pa. I didn't realise marmalade took so long to make. It looks like you have a little chef in the family, Debbie! I wonder what delicious fare he will cook next?

At first i was wondering what does mistaken mean but as i wandered this post my heart started smilr to see you have blessed with beautiful grandsons. They're just cute. And what an amazing gamma could do the best for the grandsons.Thank yoi for sharing the recipe and congrats for winning mrsb Debbie.Your vising in my blog always be a blessing to me. Thank you!

Spending time with our grands is precious indeed, Debbie. How nice that you were able to fulfill your grandson's wish of having marmalade and by making it first. He will certainly remember that special time with you and I love the "mistake"! It looks like all the grandsons had a wonderful time with fun projects.

Dearest Debbie, what a blessing and a joy to spend time with your grandsons! I absolutely love Barefoot Contessa, I like her enthusiasm and cooking skills and every time her program is on television I watch. :)

I'm glad you had an enjoyable time with your grandsons. I love spending time with my grandma and papa. That orange marmalade looks good. I don't think I've ever had any kind of marmalade. I would like to make that sometime. What do you put it on? Just toast? Much love in Christ,Ashleycreatingpreciousmoments.blogspot.com

Dearest Debbie, what a beautiful time spent with your grandsons. They are such handsome young boys and so blessed to have you two grands in their life. And, what a blessing they are to you both as well.Love the marmalade story and the making of your own recipe with mandarin oranges. I bet it was as good as it looks in your lovely photo. What fun to cook with your grand and enjoy that creative time making something he loves.

Your cook book looks fabulous and congrats on winning in the giveaways.The time you spent with your grands will be memories they remember forever.

Oh,that was such a touching story, the grandsons had a lovely time and no mistake (well, apart from the mandarins ;). It was so nice that you made that marmalade straight away more or less, that's how kids work... Not next week, 'next time, dear". Dear Debbie, I"m not a grandma yet but when / if that happens, I hope to be one like you. PS The houses are very substantial and expert looking.. Good job!

Such a sweet and precious post, Debbie! As a new Grandmother (Gramma K), I am inspired by how you and 'Pa' spend your time with those adorable grandsons! My sweet Mr. has dreams of building birdhouses and little things with our new Grandson when he is old enough and I have always dreamed of cooking and baking for, or with, my grandchildren some day. Your grandsons are very blessed to have such loving and attentive grandparents in their lives. I love 'The Barefoot Contessa' and have two of her cookbooks, but not that one. The marmalade recipe sounds wonderful and you have made it your own with the mandarins. The jars must look so pretty on the shelves, too. I love your sweet prayer at the end:) Wishing you a lovely, blessed week, my Dear. Hugs xo Karen

Debbie,How wonderful that you were able to come to the rescue and whip up some marmalade for your precious grandson! I happen to love marmalade too, it has been a favorite of mine since I was a little girl! I have not ever made any but would certainly love to give it a try! Such a good "gamma" you are!How blessed you all are to have each other!xoLinda

Debbie, That is such a sweet picture of your grandsons! Your post makes me realize how much I am going to miss my grandchildren. I see them every week, pretty much since each one has been born, and the oldest is 6 already! I've never been much of a marmalade fan but I do like mandarin oranges. Your 'new' recipe sounds yummy and I am tempted to try it once everything settles down. Not sure when that will be, though. :-) Have a blessed week, my friend!

Oh what joy it was to be able to share that time with your grandsons, and what special things you were able to do with them! I loved your mandarin marmalade story... and you know, that is just how new recipes are born! The marmalade and biscuits looked absolutely delicious, and while I confess I've never made marmalade, you have sparked my curiosity to try some! Really enjoyed this post dear Debbie :)

Sweet post dear Debbie. It sounds like you had a delightful summer visiting with all your grandsons. How precious to have a grandson who loves marmalade! It is because of people like him that old time recipes and such will always have an audience. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Debbie, I have to agree. Grandchildren are one of the great joys of life. Your boys look very handsome indeed, and I just bet they look forward to visiting Gamma and Pa! Mandarin marmalade sounds divine, and as we have a surplus of mandarins here, I think 'your' recipe will definitely get a look in here. Love, Mimi xxx

Oh my, your grandchildren are going to have such precious memories to carry them through their whole lives. I love that you make it so special for each of them, Debbie.And I love your new marmalade creation! I bet it was delicious! That's a great thing about cooking - you can always change it up to make it your own :)

Lovely pics of a happy grandson. A heartwarming post, my friend.Lots of love to you. xoxo

What a blessing to have had your grandsons aLLto yourself during the summer. It looks and sounds like they...and you and your husband made some wonderful memories! Such handsome little guys. I know you enjoyed having them around. I so look forward to the day I become a grandmother! I pray you have a joyful week my friend.

How wonderful that your grandsons were able to visit with the both of you. Home made mandarin marmalade sounds wonderful, too and I can imagine how delicious it must have been. It sure takes a long time to make, though. I love the houses that the boys built, too. That was a very cool project.

Good morning Debbie...you are an inspiration to me. Having a grandson after two daughters, has been quite a change for me. I love seeing how you spend time with the "boys". Otto is only 2, but I wonder what he will really like to do as he grows up. Grandsons are a very dear blessing, especially to grandmas. Happy Fall.Love,Linda

Such wonderful memories you are making with your grandsons! I have watched The Barefoot Contessa's show on TV and have made a few of her recipes myself. I have made many batches of jam over the years but never marmalade.

Oh, Debbie, what precious moments and memories with your grandsons! These will be cherished always by you...and especially them as they grow up. I still remember well the wonderful times I had with my grandparents and the impact they made on my life for the Lord. What handsome grandsons you and Pa have!! And what a delight that you spend quality time with them doing what they love. I got such a chuckle at the end when you surprised us by sharing about the Mandarin oranges. So now you've an extra special recipe discovered by you and your dear grandson who someday may become a chef...or at least a great husband who can cook for himself! Hugs, sweet friend!

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Hi, I'm Debbie! My heart is blessed to have you here!

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And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. -Colossians 3:15-17

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The credit for my blog design goes to my daughter, Stephanie, who blogs over at The Enchanting Rose. Click on her picture to visit her lovely place.